shes. “Do I look different? Will my parents be able to tell?”
I threw my head back and laughed.
“Do not laugh at me, Garrett Mathews. It was an honest question.”
I shook my head and said, “No, Buttercup. You don’t look different, except for the beautiful flush that has been on your cheeks since you came on my fingers.”
She let out a gasp. “Garrett Mathews, you shouldn’t talk to me like that.”
I smiled and looked ahead. When I peeked over at her and saw the smile on her face, I knew she had liked what I just said to her. I made a note to myself that I would be romantic as hell the first time I made love to her, but the second time…the second time I was going to see just how naughty my Emma truly was.
After putting the horses up we walked back up to the house, holding hands, I glanced up and saw Mrs. Birk and my mother sitting on the porch. They were both smiling at us, but my mother’s smile faded for a brief second before returning.
That’s weird.
“Did y’all enjoy the picnic?” Mrs. Birk asked.
Emma did a little jump and said, “Yes! We enjoyed it very much. Garrett took me to his favorite oak tree, and we laid out the quilt and had a lovely time talking.” She glanced back at me and winked.
I was pretty sure my face turned bright as the sun.
The screen door opened, and Dr. Birk stepped out. “Ladies, I do believe it is time to leave.” He turned back and shook Uncle Pete’s hand. Then, he walked up to me.
I reached out my hand and said, “Thank you for allowing me to take Emma on a picnic, sir. It really helped me to spend some time with her. She makes me laugh with her stories.” I looked at Emma.
“I’m not surprised. The girl has always been good at telling stories. Even as a little girl, she knew how to make us laugh.”
Emma looked down. “Daddy, please, you’re embarrassing me.”
Emma’s mother giggled and said, “Charles, don’t embarrass your daughter.”
Dr. Birk let out a loud laugh. “Now, I don’t mean to embarrass you, sweetheart. Come on, ladies, we need to be heading on back.”
After everyone said their good-byes, I watched as they left down our long driveway. I could still feel Emma’s kiss on my lips, and I reached up to touch them. When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I jumped. I quickly turned to see my mother standing there.
“Garrett, don’t do anything stupid. I see the way the two of you look at each other.” She smiled slightly and said, “It’s the same look your daddy and I shared when we were your age.”
I smiled as I took my mother’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Mother, I would never do anything to hurt you or Emma. I promise.”
My mother looked over my shoulder and nodded her head at someone. She turned and walked back toward the porch. I spun around to see David leaning against the barn door.
I took a deep breath and walked up to him. He put his hand on my shoulder and led me to the back of the barn into the foreman’s office.
He pointed at a chair and said, “Sit down, Garrett.”
I sat down and looked up at him as he shut the door.
He sat down on the edge of the desk and let out a sigh. “I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to lie to me. I was eighteen once, so I know what a pretty girl can do to you.”
I nodded my head. “I would never lie to you, sir.”
He spit out his tobacco and nodded his head. “Did you and Emma…well, did y’all have sex, Garrett?”
I shook my head. “No, sir, we did not have sex.”
He let out a sigh of relief as he dropped his head. He slowly looked up at me and said, “Do you have condoms, Garrett?”
I nodded my head. “Yes, sir, I do.”